Populous details King Fahad Stadium renovation with sustainability-led rebuild

Populous has revealed further details of its renovation of King Fahad Sports City Stadium in Riyadh, a landmark project for Saudi football infrastructure and major event hosting.The scheme targets a modernised, football-first venue with upgraded media and hospitality capability, while using reuse and on-site circularity to cut embodied carbon and operational load.Shireen Hamdan, global director and general manager of Populous KSA, said: “There is no one-size-fits-all solution to sustainable design. Each project is unique and requires a tailored approach. The King Fahad Sports City Stadium showcases how design strategies, materials, technologies and construction methods all play a role.“This project not only brings a beloved venue into the 21st century, but does so in a way that minimises environmental impact while preserving the stadium’s legacy for future generations of Saudi spectators to create unforgettable memories.”A major sustainability move centres on the stadium’s original roof canopy, which Populous said had reached the end of its useful life and could not support modern concert rigging requirements.Populous said key roof elements are being reused on site, with structural masts and cables repurposed as photovoltaic shading structures over parking areas, generating power intended to cover the stadium’s non-event energy needs, including on-site car charging.Inside the stadium bowl, the project retains and renews signature elements while reshaping the experience and capacity. Populous said the East Stand will be retained and renovated, including the facilities beneath it.On the west side, the stadium’s ‘Hive’ structure and royal areas will be retained, preserving the look and feel of a defining section of the venue while upgrading media and operational facilities to international tournament standards.Capacity growth is being delivered through significant excavation. Populous said a new lower tier is being created by digging 10 metres into the ground, bringing spectators closer to the pitch while keeping the build within the existing footprint.Excavated material is being reused to shape a new landscaped park and training areas around the stadium, part of a mixed-use masterplan designed to turn the site into an everyday destination, not only a matchday location.Populous said the park programme will include a football academy, sports centre, amphitheatre, fan zone, five-a-side pitches, a footgolf course and commercial areas, with more than 400 existing trees to be relocated and replanted.Materials are also being repurposed across the precinct. Populous said the hexagonal cladding that once wrapped the stadium ramps and podium will be reused on landscape terraces and to clad a new on-site energy centre and substation.Populous said a new system of structural masts and a cable-net roof canopy measuring 36,000 square metres will restore the stadium’s shaded silhouette while meeting the load demands of modern entertainment events.Fan comfort has been designed around heat management as well as shade. Populous said a displacement cooling strategy will be supported by semi-automatic deployable terrace covers that reflect sunlight and limit heat build-up in the concrete bowl, reducing concrete temperature by up to 8°C.The stadium is set to be a centrepiece venue for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, with the renovation also aligned with Saudi Arabia’s longer-term tournament hosting ambitions.